The Story of Jasper's Restaurant

Jasper Tilden discovered early that fresh Maine clams had a market when he was an Ellsworth seafood wholesaler. In 1948 he opened The Clam Shack on High Street with a take-out window for fried clams. Business was brisk and before long local people were parked all around the Shack, eating Jasper’s Fried Clams right in their cars. The following year Jasper and a partner built the Brookside Restaurant, also on High Street. The reputation for great fried clams spread quickly. During the ’50s busloads of people came to the Brookside after sports events from Down East and as far away as Bangor. In 1954 a fire destroyed the Brookside. They rebuilt but Jasper sold out his interest in 1957 and bought the small restaurant and motel across the street on today’s site. By August of ’58 Jasper’s reputation for great seafood brought him more customers than the tiny restaurant could accommodate. Once again, people were sitting in the parking lot eating fried clams! Jasper enlarged the kitchen. A couple of years later, he added the Green Room, taking out the adjacent motel units. Jasper kept building on and adding units until by 1960 the restaurant and motel reached the size it is today. In January of 1978 Jasper fell victim to a stroke and in 1980 Nancy, his daughter, bought the family business and she is your host today. She has made a lot of improvements. In 1990 a new kitchen was built and the old kitchen area was used to create a new dining room, the Port Hole Room. In 1994 the Green Room was retired and that space was redesigned and decorated to become the Crown Room. This room is available for private parties and functions from 30 to 70 people.

The family thanks you for eating here today. They are sure you’ll enjoy the food and if you insist on eating fried clams out in the parking lot, they’ll pack them to go in memory of the good old days.